How to Help Poor Children in India (Or Anywhere)

I’m going to India in a couple of weeks, and I’m troubled by the children who beg for money. Do I give them money or food or neither? If I give money, exploitative adults may take it. My family regularly contributes to Indian charities, but that is small consolation in these heartbreaking situations. What do I do? D.S., MINNESOTA

Your desire to help a child in distress is commendable, whichever of those options you choose. The spectacle of a suffering child is so harrowing, our inability to relieve that suffering so demoralizing, that even experts differ about how best to respond. Martha Nussbaum, a professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago who has devoted much work to third-world poverty, told me: “My Indian activist friends have different views about giving anything to beggars. Some do it occasionally, some make a policy of not doing it.”

It can be argued that giving money to beggars sustains a culture of begging and, in the most horrifying cases, motivates criminals to force children to beg and even to maim those children to make them more poignant and profitable beggars. But it is poverty itself, not ad hoc generosity, that perpetuates begging. The real, albeit daunting, solution is to lift these children — these nations — out of poverty. That is the approach Nussbaum herself takes, as your family does, by steadily contributing to organizations with the expertise and commitment to take on this challenge. “I think that Unicef is probably the best choice,” she says, “since it has excellent programs in India.” But there are many groups doing admirable work.

update: D.S. has returned from India, where she responded “on a case-by-case basis.” She sometimes gave money to a child whose parents were present and seemed by their dress to be rural migrants, newly arrived in the city and struggling to find work. More often she gave food, particularly to children she feared might be exploited by adults who would steal her donated money.

10 Responses to How to Help Poor Children in India (Or Anywhere)

Sir,am rajasekhar am starting a helping commitity for poor children who are beging road side.plz help me in fund or money to keep my commitity in good process yours faithfully rajasekhar .plz if any one interested plz mail me mettarajasekhar123@gmail.com

how do i know that the money is used for the welfare of the kid and its not taken by an adult to misuse i really want to help out a NEEDY child to whom i can send to school and then slowly increase the number of kids… can ne one help

i am always try to help poor children but i dont have that much money to help then i am working under n.g.o arunachal pradesh but my salary is to law if some one help this poor children it very greatfull to you my contect no is 09863358227

HI ,
I AM WORKING WITH A N.G.O. WHICH IS KNOWN AS GREEN PLANET SANSTHAN IN RURAL AREA OF UTTAR PRADESH INDIA , IF U WANT TO HELP POOR STUDENT FOR THEIR PROPER EDUCATION , U CAN HELP THEM BY US . MY MOBILE NO. 9616630766 AND N.G.O. IS ON FACEBOOK AS GREEN PLANET SANSTHAN . FOR MORE DETAILS U CAN MAIL ME – mailme.msingh@rediffmail.com .
THANKING U .

hi i m parvinder(kunal)
i m live in south Delhi tall how can help poor children i m now rich but i m computer engineer i m teach poor children i give 2 hour not par day weekly ma be 3 day 4 day
plz tall me there any institute plz all friend you not rich but u will do some help u share u r some nolag u give your some time and i know u feel very happy
and tall me any poor children camp
me email id is sen2me.kunal@yahoo.com
ph :9990744123

I am going to India very soon and would like to take something for the children.
When i went to Egypt i was told to take some pencils for them as they couldnt get any.
The children flocked around us and were so happy with something as simple as a pencil
I would like to do a simalar thing on this trip to India but not sure what to take.
Would be grateful if someone could tell me what would put a little smile on a face.
Thanks Gill

I live in Anantapur, India. I left my job to work for the needy here and I volunteer for few NGOs too. I know lot of villages here where children require immediate help, children who work in the farm, children who don’t go to school and just play whole day long, children whose parents are infected with AIDS.
I try to generate awareness to the best of my abilities. However I have a strong feeling that they need much more than this. Please could help me with resources where I can find help like sponsors for these kids. And how I should approach.